Rattlesnake!

by

A Static Lullaby

Edit

I first heard ASL my freshman year of college. And Don't Forget To Breathe was very much of it's time - it fit well with the burgeoning screamo scene, and ASL stood above the pack - a dash of pop-punk, a splash of emo, and a healthy dose of screaming made for a great listen.

Their follow-up, Faso Latido (which I sort of like) was a major let down, and ASL lost 3 members in the aftermath. With their re-birth, and release of their self titled album, it was clear that ASL was back in full force.

If anything, Rattlesnake! proves that this band is not a one-trick pony. As great as the self-titled was, it was a bit too stylistically similar to their debut. Rattlesnake! shatters their previous ties with emo. ASL has obviously been listening to a LOT of Every Time I Die - opener Rattlesnake!, The Turn, The Prestige, and Everybody's Got A Lil' Fonz N' 'Em, come close to blatant rip-offs of ETID riffs, but have enough signature ASL in them, that they are amazing. Joe's screams have never sounded better, and Dan's voice has lost all of its whine. Thick riffs, breakdowns that make you want to destroy everything in sight, and some really solid clean-singing passages. This album is fast and furious, and made for the mosh pit. This is ASL on crack and ETID. Highly recommended.

P.S. The cover of Toxic is actually pretty great!

A static lullaby aren't an easy act to pin down. 2003's ...and don't forget to breathe was simply stellar, and hinted at the greatness this band could become if they kept at it. Then came Faso La-suck-o, which as the name that i just made up but sounds similar to the actual title would imply, sucked. The heaviness, the emotion, was essentially ditched in favor of a more streamlined pop-rock sound. Flash forward to 2007, and ASL are right back on top with their self-titled record. The screams, the heavy guitars, the emotion, all in tact. BUT...it didn't take long for that to die (again), because less than two years later, we got Rattlesnake!, a steaming pile of sh-ockingly bad mock 80's "metal" (if 80's metal somehow came back to life in the year 2008, yah got it here). Sure, it's their heaviest record yet. But really, heaviness without emotion is just plain bad. And 80's metal.

I don't know what ASL are trying to prove, but I hope it works out for them. In the meantime, if you were a huge fan of Breathe or Self-titled, you'll undoubtedly be disappointed. I highly suggest picking up Underoath's new record instead. Now there's a band that's knows how to do it to it!